Gone
by Wings of Indigo
Summary: Rose wakes up all at once, her hair a mess and her mind a muddle of fear. She's gone- her daughter is no longer here. And so she has no reason to stay and every reason to go- her Doctor must be found. Found and told about the miracle she kept from him, whatever it takes her. Oneshot, I'm Here Now.


**Okay, this was origionally just a chapter in another story, but it was to good to stay that way! I wonder if this'll get any reviews- huh. Btw, next chapter of I'm Here Now should be done in about 2 days max- sorry for the abominally long wait. **

_**Song~ The Lightning Strike by The Snow Patrol**_

* * *

Rose woke up abruptly, bolting upright as her heart raced and breathing heavily. She was covered in sweat, and her hair was a tangled mess that didn't bear thinking about.

The queen size bed was a ruin- the sheets rumpled and twisted this way and that, the blankets and comforter sideways and half off the bed; one pillow had fallen off the bed altogether, and slumped against the side of the bedframe like a defeated soldier.

Even in the dark, she could fuzzily see the outline of the room- door to the bathroom, door to the hall, dresser against the far wall, window with the blinds drawn, nightstands and shelves on either side of the bed; chair, side table, and lamp by the window.

Gradually, her breathing calmed down, and she swung her legs over the side of the bed, toes seeking the floor, and stood up.

Feet silent on the soft carpet, Rose walked quietly over to the cushy armchair and sat down, curling her feet up and leaning on one arm, staring out the window. She didn't turn on the light- she didn't need it and she didn't want it.

The dark was better.

Once again, Rose felt the pain tear at her heart, ripping shreds out of it and bringing slient, burning hot tears to her eyes. Her soul cried out for him to just _come back- _she missed him so much.

After all this, after fourteen years there, two here, what had she to show for her efforts and sacrifices? Their efforts and sacrifices? Nothing but a daughter who was trapped in a life of confusion, loneliness and usage, and a heart that ached as much as it had when he'd left her on that beach.

But at least she still had their baby girl- the little lie she'd made our of neccessity, and intensly regreted-

Then it struck her, and Rose was terrified that she now knew why she'd been woken up so abruptly.

She couldn't feel Evy anywhere. With a strangled gasp and a prayer that she was wrong, Rose pushed herself off the chair and ran down the hall to Evy's room before she could stop herself.

It was a cliche she'd never believed in; that Mothers could tell when their children were around or in danger. But when Evy had been born, she'd been forced to reconsider.

It wasn't anything psychic, so much; just more of like a hyperawareness of another living being's presence. But whatever it was, when Evy was around, Rose could always tell.

Reaching her daughter's room, Rose flipped on the light switch- only to reveal a neatly made bed that hadn't been slept in, in the corner of a not-so-neat room. Taking a deep breath, Rose tried to stifle her panic as she reminded herself that Evy had been sleeping over with a freind tonight. With a slightly trembling hand, she flipped the light back off and make her way, shakily, to the kitchen.

_See, Rose? _She thought. _Just call Evy on her cell, and make sure she's okay. Then you can ease your fears and go back to bed. _

In the kitchen, she reached for their dated phone, only to realize that the message light was blinking, like an SOS signal. Rose swallowed, forcing herself to remain calm.

_It's probably nothing. Just remain calm._

Shakily, she picked up the phone, and pressed the buttons to listen to her messages. The first message was left only three hours ago.

Trembling with the effort to maintain calm, Rose raised the aged phone to her ear. The sound of her daughter's voice echoed over the line.

"Mum- It's Evy. 'Course, you probably figured that." There was a pause. "I just- I'm alright. I just need to tell you that- I'm probably going to be- absent- for a while." There was Another pause, and Rose's heart stopped, her mind playing all of the horrible situations Evy could have found herself in. But her daughter's next words restarted her heart- and made it simultanously leap with joy and sink with heavy foreboding.

" I found him, mum, can you believe that?" Weak laugh. "Me, who never looked for him a day in my life. As- as impossible as this is; I'm in his ship. Right now. It's wonderful, mum; even more than your stories."

Rose clutched at the phone, desperate for an explination, for information. This was not planned for- and this could go so very, very wrong.

"I haven't told him yet- he doesn't know. I think- that you should. When he sees you again.I don't know when I'll be back- I remember about his bad driving." Another weak laugh from Evy, and Rose smiled involentarily, remembering how Evy had loved her stories. "I'm sorry for lying about the club- really." Rose's small smile flipped into a frown. How could Evy risk herself- but then she reminded herself of the priorities here.

"I love you, mum. I love you." Evy said in a whisper, her sincerity ringing in every word before the message ended. Rose nearly dropped the phone as she put it down and clutched at the counter to steady herself. She felt so dizzy- a sure sign she had stopped breathing sometime during the playback.

But as she glupped oxygen into her lungs and steadied her weaving body, her mind was racing ahead. She knew what she had to do.

* * *

Snippets of memory played through Rose's head on a continuous loop as she walked purposefully through the apartment, gathering materials she knew she would need and materials she was sure would come in handy; packing them all into a simple, utliltarial blue backpack.

Three changes of basic clothes- jeans, t-shirts, hoodie. A water bottle, her small field first aid kit from UNIT. Not much else- but she didn't need much else.

Her eyes drifted to the right, to a small table with several photos placed neatly in black frames.

They were mostly pictures of Evy; from Pete's world; photos that had made the trip across the void shoved in a folder of fake paperwork.

Evy riding her new Christmas bicycle in Pete's house, Evy with Mickey next to a river, Evy staring intently at a small yellow flower. Rose moved closer and took a photo from the back in her hands.

The picture in the frame showed Evy and her, a few weeks before they crossed to this universe, crouched over a huge book next to the fireplace. They were both smiling wide smiles, and they seemed happier than ever.

Rose didn't know long it would take for her to find her daughter. Maybe, although she refused to think like that, she wouldn't find her at all. Maybe Evy would find her. Maybe he would find her. She had no idea what would happen, but she wanted to hold on to her daughter's image for as long as possible. She removed the picture from the frame and dropped it in her backpack.

Rose zipped the backpack closed. She inhaled a deep, shaking breath, and carefully slid the pack over her shoulder, sliding both arms securely through the straps.

What she was about to do was dangerous and probably insanely stupid- but it was an act born of sheer desperation. All of her attempts to find the Doctor had failed- and Rose had long ago sworn on that godforsaken beach, that she would find him. Her daughter, her Evy, was gone- and she had no other choice.

How like the Game Station. Once again, she was risking everything for one man- and now her daughter. That day seemed so long ago now- and, in her own time, it was.

Rose let her eyes flutter shut.

The Doctor may have thought he'd taken all the energy from her; sacrificed his life to save hers- but he hadn't. Rose had started noticing the changes after she'd been stranded- she didn't age. She healed faster than was humanly possible. She could understand languages and science and technology that no one had ever heard of. And she could do- _things. _

Dangerous things. After the first few incidents, in which she'd found herself in the most random locations with only a spilting headache and a memory blank, she'd tried as best she could to ignore what the Bad Wolf had made her.

Rose's eyes snapped open- and they glowed gold. Silently, the golden eyes concentrated on seemingly empty space- and there, slowly, a rift began to open.

The golden eyes turned to the table of photographs, and the small photo of the Doctor Evy had shyly given her as a Mother's Day present years ago. She picked it up, and kissed the Doctor's image softly through the glass.

"I'm coming," she whispered. "I promise I'll find you. Both of you." Tenderly, she slid the photo out of the frame, setting the frame precariously on the edge of the table.

And with a silent prayer, the part of Rose still thinking normally breathed in deeply and stepped through the portal. The rift closed behind her as she passed, leaving no trace of her dissappearance but a shattered, empty photo frame and a feeling of emptiness.


End file.
